BAL leveler question?

[ForestCreature]

In all the time (about 5 yrs) we have used the  BAL, we have had to put something under the tire once, soft or hard ground. I still think it was because the tire was under inflated.

[fritz_monroe]

I've put a piece of wood under the BAL one time.  But I took a good look and it's not really needed, some day I may have to put something under it some time to get the BAL out, but after the first use, I haven't needed the wood to put the BAL around the tire.

I still carry the wood, but haven't used it for about a year, it stays in the compartment of the stepper door.  I figure what else would I put in there?  It's not a waterproof compartment, so there's not a whole lot I would want to put in there.

[Techrangerbrad]

I just purchased two of these as I was told that with a dual axel - I would need two - I have not used them yet, but after reading all of the great comments, I can't wait to use them.

I may just experiment with them while the trailer is in the driveway, that way I can have four or five neighbors come over and give me unsolicited advice

[wavery]

I just purchased two of these as I was told that with a dual axel - I would need two - I have not used them yet, but after reading all of the great comments, I can't wait to use them.

I may just experiment with them while the trailer is in the driveway, that way I can have four or five neighbors come over and give me unsolicited advice

You might want to consider getting a drill motor, adapter, swivel and 3/4" socket to run up the levelers. One isn't too bad to do by hand. Two could be a pain.

I run mine up with a drill, then I run my top up with the same drill by just changing the sockets. It really cuts down on set-up time and labor.:sombraro:

[haroldPE]

I have one and hate it.  ity's slow, hard and a general pain in the paduka.  now I am forced to buy a 500# in-lb rechargable drill w/ torque handle to crank the thing up and down - may try it for the stabs and roof lift , too.  when will the madness stop!

Need input on wheather or not to buy a BAL leveler?  I have heard that people like them but how are they on saving set-up time, ease of use, durability, storage, and weight/size.  Also, do you only buy one for one side?  I saw there is a BAL locking chock, is this needed?  I would prefer to only buy one thing if possible.

[wavery]

I have one and hate it.  ity's slow, hard and a general pain in the paduka.  now I am forced to buy a 500# in-lb rechargable drill w/ torque handle to crank the thing up and down - may try it for the stabs and roof lift , too.  when will the madness stop!

NEVER don'tcha just love it :-()

WELCOME TO PUT!!!!

[Handyman]

I'm a true NEW-B too, and I'm not too sure about all this levelling. We haven't used our Pop-up Trailer yet, but is it necessary to balance everything. I can understand balancing end to end but unless you are on a really crappy campsite you shouldn't have to balance side to side...do you? We are going this wknd for the very first time and we are taking wood blocks to balance front to back and a wedge under the tires. Is there more that we need other than that? Our trailer doesn't have cranks and stuff that others are talking about. In the driveway it seems to balance just fine and i assume our campsite this weekend will be fairly flat too. I need some help, I don't want to go and find out the hard way I need something else or if my wife and I get a little frisky(which I doubt) I don't want to tip the trailer. Any help or suggestions from the veteran campers???

[raptor]

It's not at all uncommon for me to be at a site that is not even close to level side-to-side.  One reason I pup camp is to be able to camp in sites a tad more primitive (and usually more un-level) than the big RV's.  Similar to standard tent camping sites.

I find side-to-side leveling important for a couple reasons.

1.  I just get annoyed living out of a sloped pup.  Makes you have to consider which direction to sleep (annoying to have head downhill, etc.), and is just generally not comfortable to me.  This is a subjective crtieria of course.  This may not bother you.

2.  When cranking up the top on a pup that is not level side-to-side, you are exerting more lateral stress on the frame than is desired I believe.  This is especially prevalent if you have an AC unit mounted on top (they are always off to one side or the other, throwing off the balance of the roof if not level).  Watch your four corner posts bend as they extend if you don't believe me.  

So, I use to use wood and do endless iterations of readjusting and backing up, etc, before getting it right.  I just bought a BAL though and used it for the first time a couple weeks back.  Man, that was SWEET!  I'm never going back.  Worth every penny.

[AustinBoston]

I'm a true NEW-B too, and I'm not too sure about all this levelling. We haven't used our Pop-up Trailer yet, but is it necessary to balance everything. I can understand balancing end to end but unless you are on a really crappy campsite you shouldn't have to balance side to side...do you?

That depends.  Sleeping on an incline can be uncomfortable.  The fridge (if you have one) needs to be reasonably level (but most of us level much more accurately than the fridge needs).

We are going this wknd for the very first time and we are taking wood blocks to balance front to back and a wedge under the tires. Is there more that we need other than that?

Have you seen the campsite?  We have popped up in hundreds of campgrounds in 26 states.  Most places are OK, but just about everywhere you can find terrible sites.

Our trailer doesn't have cranks and stuff that others are talking about.

I'm sure it has "stabilizers" of some sort - they go to the ground after you set up in order to keep the camper from tipping.  Not all stabilizers crank down, but I've never heard of a pop-up that didn't have them.

In the driveway it seems to balance just fine and i assume our campsite this weekend will be fairly flat too. I need some help, I don't want to go and find out the hard way I need something else or if my wife and I get a little frisky(which I doubt) I don't want to tip the trailer. Any help or suggestions from the veteran campers???

What is the make/model of your trailer, and whay year is it?

Austin

[AustinBoston]

So, I use to use wood and do endless iterations of readjusting and backing up, etc, before getting it right.

Wow!  I've only had to change the Linx from my original guess about three times, and they were all in the first year or two.  95% of the time, I look at the site and know what I'm going to need.  The other 5%, the bubble level shows me that I need one more (or less) Lynx than I thought.  Pull on, and it's right.  End of story.

If I had to do what you used to, I'd throw those Linx out and get a BAL!  

Austin

[raptor]

Wow!  I've only had to change the Linx from my original guess about three times, and they were all in the first year or two.  ...
Austin

I'm sure that can be explained by a couple quirks of mine.
1.  I'm ridiculously anal when it comes to things like putting the bubble exactly between the two center lines - for no good reason I know - it's just the way I am.
2.  I'm not particularly expert at backing a trailer..
3.  I didn't use linx.  When I say "wood" I mean like scrap 2x4 wedges, etc.  Low tech.  If I had prepared better wood I surely would have had better experience.  I've even used random rocks from the campsite on several occasions.  Just poor preparation mostly.  

Bottom line: I'm sure there are plenty of tools by which to relatively easily level your pup - but I mostly wanted to say that I consider it important to level.

[Handyman]

That depends.  Sleeping on an incline can be uncomfortable.  The fridge (if you have one) needs to be reasonably level (but most of us level much more accurately than the fridge needs).

I completely get what you are saying there and didn't think about that before. I guess I'm being a little nieve to think that my campsite is going to be flat. First time at this campground, so I guess we'll learn as we go. Since we don't have one of this special things that everyone is talking about, would you suggest bringing different size pieces of wood or some plywood planks to park on?



I'm sure it has "stabilizers" of some sort - they go to the ground after you set up in order to keep the camper from tipping.  Not all stabilizers crank down, but I've never heard of a pop-up that didn't have them.

Our trailer is 1992 Coachman Camper. It has some stabilizer things on the back end of the trailer, but the guy said he always just put wood blocks underneath the frame. It also has the wheel thing at the front. Can't I just level the trailer front to back with the wheel at the front by cranking it up or down and then locking it in when its level. I realize I probably sound like an idiot asking these questions but I'm truly a New-B and I'm not really a Handyman although that's my handle. Anything you could suggest. Our current intention is to bring some different size pieces of wood and some wedges to put under the tires so it doesn't roll. Do you think this is ok? Or do I need more to it?

[AustinBoston]

When I say "wood" I mean like scrap 2x4 wedges, etc.

Ah, hard to get within an inch if you go in 2" increments.

Bottom line: I'm sure there are plenty of tools by which to relatively easily level your pup - but I mostly wanted to say that I consider it important to level.

And - do what works for you.

Austin

[flyfisherman]

Our trailer is 1992 Coachman Camper. It has some stabilizer things on the back end of the trailer, but the guy said he always just put wood blocks underneath the frame. It also has the wheel thing at the front. Can't I just level the trailer front to back with the wheel at the front by cranking it up or down and then locking it in when its level. I realize I probably sound like an idiot asking these questions but I'm truly a New-B and I'm not really a Handyman although that's my handle. Anything you could suggest. Our current intention is to bring some different size pieces of wood and some wedges to put under the tires so it doesn't roll. Do you think this is ok? Or do I need more to it?

Most of us level the camper front to rear (or viseversa) using that "wheel thing" on the front  ~ some folks refer to it as a tongue jack or the front dolly wheel jack (LOL) ~ and those rear "stabilizer things" (pretty close) are called stabiler jacks (there's the B.A.L. crank down and the older telescoping kind, usually just refered to as stab jacks). I suspect you have the older stab jacks and how you work those is to just let them drop to the ground by pulling back on a little release lever and then using a jack handle, ratchet them down to where they are snug. Of course, leveling side to side, a lot of times you have to raise one side of the trailer or the other and that's done by having something inder one wheel and raising one side of the camper to the desired height ~ you can do this with a block of wood or by some other more elaborate devices. As for me, I just use wood blocks that are 1" or 2" thick. As for not allowing the trailer to roll (very good idea!), I just picked up from Wal-Mart those yellow (plastic) wheel chocks ~ after leveling side to side and before I un-hitch, out come the wheel chocks and placed front and rear of each wheel (tire). A lot of hard lessons have been learned that by not chocking the wheels and un-hitching the trailer, it will want to travel all by itself!(LOL).


Good luck


Fly

[tknick]

My wife (and father-in-law) can attest to the importance of putting the rear stablizer jacks down.  Otherwise when you enter your PUP, the tongue of the trailer may truely POP UP and you will find yourself in a precarious position.

Like Fly said, the stablizers you have on the rear are relatively easy to use.  They are kept in the up position by a spring.  To get them down you need to pull the stablizers towards the front of the PUP.  The stablizers should move forward enough to allow you to keep pulling the stablizers towards the front of the PUP and then swing down towards the ground.  When you let go (in the down position) it will spring back up and lock in the down position.  Then like Fly said, push the lever down, the stablizers will slide to the ground (assuming it's not rusted in place) and using a jack handle you can snug it to the ground.  

Keep in mind, these are stablizers and NOT jacks.  Do not try to lift the camper off of the tires using the stablizers.  You will twist the frame and could damage the lift system on your PUP.

You can continue to use wooden blocks, but the blocks are fixed in size.  The stablizers will allow you almost infinitely more adjustment without the headache of putting more wood in, taking some out, putting more in, taking some out, etc.....

travis